Six Years On
by Always a Bookworm
Summary: Why do you hate me so much?" he asked, staring at her. "Because your father is the reason they're dead!" she burst out. Sometimes revenge is the only thing that keeps us going, but sometimes we need forgiveness to be saved. MaixSeto, for contest.


**Arrogantshipping- Seto Kaiba x Mai Kujaku, written for Round 9 of Compy's contest.**

**Umm... I genuinelly have no idea what to think about this. It's a bit insane! I like the pairing, but I think that I messed it up a bit. Well, you lot can decide! :)**

**Warnings: AU, angst. Oh, and prepare to be confused!**

**Just one last thing; I know Seto is pretty OOC sometimes, but this is AU so some of the stuff that made him who he is in the actual anime/manga doesn't happen. Eg. He's not adopted, Gozaburo is his real father.**

**I hope you enjoy the angsty weirdness! ;D**

* * *

When Seto found his assistant rummaging through the papers in his private office, he assumed that she was just another employee that had lost some important paperwork and was trying desperately to find it before he found out and fired them.

It was a mark of how tired he was that he didn't question how she had got through the three state-of-the-art locks, fingerprint identification system and surveillance cameras that barred the way to said private office.

"Kaiba, sir!" she started up, dropping the papers in shock. "I- I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

Seto rubbed his temples wearily, and, walking past the seemingly-terrified girl, sank into his desk chair.

The girl continued to babble, "I'm really sorry, I lost those forms that would authorise the testing of that new alarm system, and I thought you might have taken them, and your door was open, so..."

She trailed off, gazing at him pleadingly. Seto sighed, deeply, once again forgetting that his door was _never _left open, because it was on an electric hinge that swung shut automatically after 30 seconds.

He eyed the trembling girl in front of him, with a sort of tired anger. Her long blonde hair curled around her waist, her large violet eyes shone out from a perfectly shaped face, the dress she was wearing hugged her curves flatteringly, and the knee-length boots she wore were the latest fashion. She was pretty, that was certain. Beautiful, most people would say. And she knew it too; there was always a mirror to hand wherever she went, and she spent most of her time admiring herself in it. She was incredibly vain. That was part of the reason Seto had hired her, that and the fact that she had come across as mind-numbingly stupid in the interview.

He liked that.

In his experience, when hiring a personal assistant that could have access to the majority of your most confidential files, then it was more sensible to hire a total idiot that was in love with herself than hire an intelligent worker who could be a spy from another company, or worse, an potential burglar.

Seto Kaiba was a very cautious person, that's why he had come so far. Combined with the fact that he was an undisputed, and incredibly ambitious, genius. You didn't become the CEO for the largest distributor of burglar alarms, security systems and advanced protection mechanisms in the world, without being pretty intelligent. Not only did the majority of banks, shops and houses contain the KaibaCorp burglar alarm system, but they also supplied the CIA, the FBI and MI5 with security systems, and virtually every government in the world used his firewall to protect their computers.

On the other hand, this meant that he was one of the very few people in the world who had the secrets behind his systems, and therefore was the perfect target for robbers, spies and would-be assassins.

Which was the reason for all of the ridiculous security measures he had to take, one of which was the hiring of a total airhead for an assistant.

"Sir?" the nervous voice broke him out of his reverie. He waved her away, exhaustedly, saying, "Oh, just don't let it happen again, alright? Now get out."

The girl looked even more shocked- Seto Kaiba was not well known for indulging the mistakes of his employees- but smiled and nodded, gratefully, and hurried out of the office, closing the door carefully behind her.

Seto leaned his face on his hands and closed his eyes.

He was exhausted. He was usually exhausted, but it wasn't usually this bad. At the moment the only thing keeping him awake was the fact that he had drunk so much coffee, he was fairly sure caffeine was flowing through his veins instead of blood.

Mokuba would be furious. He could already picture his little brother's face- that mixture of concern and annoyance.

But Mokuba could scold, '_You work too hard, Seto,'_ he could worry,_ 'Please, you need rest,' _and he could shout,_ 'Are you trying to kill yourself?'_ but it would never have any effect. Seto needed to work. He _lived_ to work. Even if it meant neglecting his little brother, who meant everything to him, even if he had to do that, he had to work. He had to.

It will be worth it, he told himself endlessly, as he looked despairingly at the piles of paperwork strewn across his desk. In the end, it'll be worth it. Because you need the money, you need it to keep the lab research going. Do it for him. One day they'll succeed, and then-

No. Don't think of that. "Never think of that," he muttered, as he reached for yet another cup of coffee, and prepared himself for one more sleepless night spent working.

* * *

Mokuba was slumped on the sofa, fast asleep, when Seto arrived home.

The taller boy bit back a smile at the sight, and grabbed a nearby blanket, covering him with a practised hand. This wasn't the first time Mokuba had waited up for him.

The black-haired boy opened his eyes slowly, just as Seto was about to tiptoe out.

"S-Seto?" he blinked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "W-what's the time?"

Seto sighed, mentally preparing himself for his brother's anger.

"About four-thirty, Mokie," he said. Almost instantly, Mokuba snapped awake.

"Four-thirty in the MORNING?" he jumped off the sofa, and stared incredulously at his older brother.

Seto leaned back on the sofa. "Yes, Mokuba. I know, I stayed up too late working-"

"Damn right you did!" Mokuba said, angrily. "Seto, this will kill you if you keep it up!"

"It's not like I want to!" Seto snapped, exhaustion only adding to his short temper. "But the company needs me, and I-"

"I don't care about the company! They're not the only one's that need you. I need you, Seto! Me, your brother, remember?" Mokuba yelled back, tears glittering in his eyes. "When was the last time we spent some time together, huh? This is taking over your life, Seto!"

"Mokuba, you know perfectly well why I do this!" Seto shouted, losing his temper completely. "I have to do it for- for- for him." His voice trailed off, and he sank back on the sofa. There was a pause. "Mokie, I have to. You understand, right? It'll be soon, I'm sure of it, the doctors say they're making progress every day…"

He looked up pleadingly, only to see that there were tears streaking down Mokuba's cheeks unchecked.

"Seto, do you really think he'd want you to be like this? You think he'd be happy knowing that you waste your life away because of him?" Mokuba's voice was quiet, and he spoke haltingly as if he were holding back sobs. "You can't even say his name, Seto. He wouldn't want that. I knew him too, you know. I loved him too, Seto! Doing this… it isn't going to bring him back. And you can't accept that, because you can't deal with the pain of losing him. I understand! Damnit, why won't you let me help? You think this doesn't hurt me too?"

Mokuba's voice had risen in pitch, and he was eventually overcome by tears. Seto held out a beseeching hand. "Mokie…"

But Mokuba ignored it. "I already lost him," he said, quietly. "I don't want to lose you as well."

He turned and left the room, head bent. Seto watched him go, words that he wanted to say catching in his throat and tears that he refused to let fall pricking at the back of his eyelids.

* * *

"Sir?" the voice of his assistant piped up again. Seto jerked up, realising in embarrassment that he'd fallen asleep on his desk. He looked up to see the girl – her name? Oh, yes, Kujaku. Mai Kujaku - standing with a bemused expression, a cup of coffee in her hand.

"You look like you need this," she said, wryly, handing him the drink. He took it, gratefully, and sipped at the hot liquid, wincing as it burned his throat.

"And here's those forms you wanted, Sir," she said, placing them neatly down on his desk. She eyed the mess with distaste. "If you'll pardon me saying so, Sir, your desk is looking very untidy today. Surely it's harder for you to work like that?"

Seto was already staring back at his computer screen. "I don't have time to clean my office, Miss Kujaku," he grumbled.

"I'll do it!" she said, brightly. "And call me Mai. Everyone does," she grinned (clearly not put off by his unfriendliness), and began to shuffle his papers into some kind of order.

Seto was too shattered to stop her, so he let her bustle around him, fiddling with his paperwork and empty coffee cups. It occurred to him distantly that she somehow managed to keep her blonde curls immaculate even whilst she was working, and that she was, as usual, wearing an extremely tight-fitting dress, but he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind sternly, and tried to concentrate on his task.

"Oh, how adorable!" she said, fondly, after about ten minutes of silence. Seto looked up to see her holding a framed photo of him and Mokuba taken a few years ago. A sad smile flitted across his face, before he rearranged it into his normal scowl. "My brother," he said, tersely. "Mokuba."

"Aww!" she cooed, "He's so sweet!"

Seto rolled his eyes, and wished vaguely that he hadn't allowed her to clean his desk. This was giving him a headache.

But she didn't seem to mind his silence, and chattered on. "And he's hugging you. I love how you're so close! So hard to find in siblings these days…" She trailed off, suddenly.

Seto glanced at her, and was surprised to find her looking slightly misty-eyed.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked, curious in spite of himself.

She seemed to start out of a dream. "Oh, yes, I have… I had one. A sister."

Seto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and she continued on after a pause, her voice slightly subdued. "She died a long time ago."

This was getting painfully close to just what Seto was trying to block out. "I'm sorry," he replied, not knowing what else to say.

"It's alright, hon," she said, softly. "It wasn't your fault."

Seto, slightly alarmed by the affectionate 'hon', gave a small smile, and went back to his work, but Mai was still gazing at the photo.

"And who's this?" she smiled, her exuberance back almost instantly, pointing at the figure standing next to Seto and Mokuba.

Seto's face immediately took on a stony glare. "That is none of your concern, Miss Kujaku," he said, frostily. "I think my desk is quite tidy enough, thank you very much. You can get back to your work."

Mai placed the photo thoughtfully back on the desk.

"Yes, sir," she said, still eyeing the photo in some confusion. Seto saw her inquisitive gaze, and turned the photo face down. "Thank you, Miss Kujaku," he said, pointedly.

She nodded politely, and left the room.

Seto immediately propped the photo frame back up, and spent a few seconds with his eyes fixed on the grainy picture. The camera had been ancient, and it had been evening so the lighting was terrible, but he still treasured that picture more than any of the ones taken by his many expensive digital cameras.

He brushed his fingers over the three smiling figures, wistfully.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Mai stood outside the office, eyeing the small object in her hand with satisfaction.

"Check, Seto Kaiba," she said to herself, and closed her manicured fingers over it with a smirk.

* * *

Mai hurried out of the KaibaCorp office, turning up her collar against the chill wind, and walking briskly down the street. At every corner she glanced back over her shoulder, sweeping the street with her eyes for someone that might be following her, just in case.

Mai Kujaku was also a very cautious person.

After several sharp turns, shortcuts down alley-ways and through shops, she arrived at the small café.

Walking in, she sank down in her usual table by the window, and ordered a cup of tea. She pulled off her coat, and cupped her cold hands around the steaming mug, looking just like any other office worker on her way home.

Of course, most other office workers didn't have a small pistol concealed in their knee-length boots.

"Evening, Mai," her partner said, as he slid into the chair opposite her, with that smirk that he always seemed to wear.

She nodded to him, stiffly. "Malik."

He winked at her. "Always so friendly, aren't you?" he didn't wait for a response, and ordered a coffee.

"Tea, again?" he remarked, offhandedly. "Can't bear the stuff myself."

Mai snorted. "Well I spend the entire day serving coffee to that stuck-up rich git I work for, and you know that I like to separate myself as much as possible from Kaiba. If he drinks coffee, I drink tea."

Malik shook his head, as Mai sipped at her drink, but didn't comment. It was well known how much she detested the Kaiba brothers, and Malik knew Mai well enough to know that she was the sort of girl that you really didn't want to annoy, so he dropped the subject.

He stared out of the window at the quiet street for a few minutes, watching the leaves blow in gusts across the pavement.

"I thought it was Ryou today," Mai said, eventually, also staring out of the window.

Malik shrugged. "Got stuck helping Bakura with another job."

Mai shot him a curious look. "Big?"

Malik chuckled. "Sweetheart, what you don't know can't hurt you. And we certainly don't want our favourite agent getting hurt now, do we?"

Mai made a face, but he ignored her. "So what have you got for me today?" his voice was still light-hearted, but Mai could hear the serious undertone. Malik might act stupid, but he took his job very seriously- after all, he was one of the leaders of their little 'organisation' as he liked to call it.

Mai said nothing, but reached into her handbag and retrieved a plain brown envelope, which she pushed across the table. Malik's eyes widened.

"You didn't…" he breathed.

Mai nodded, a smirk of her own slipping onto her face. "It went to plan. That's the key we've been waiting for."

Malik took the envelope almost reverently. "Well, well. Bakura _will_ be pleased. I can tell you, we were worried after that slip up yesterday when he caught you in his office, but now…"

Mai inspected her nails, calmly. "I suppose he's not so much of a genius after all."

"Hmm," Malik agreed, vaguely. He put the envelope in his pocket and buttoned it up securely. "This is great news. We can proceed much faster than we though with this bit of information," he said, in a suddenly business-like manner.

Mai nodded. "So what do I do for now?"

"Carry on just as you have been, darling. Make him trust you." He grinned, wolfishly. "Make him fall in love with you, if that's what it takes."

Mai patted her golden curls, and smirked. "Oh, I can do that. Easy."

Malik's hazy-eyed look had come back. "At the end of this, we'll be rich," he said, quietly.

"And I'll have my revenge," Mai replied.

Malik shot her a knowing look. "Together, we could take over the world." He raised his cup. "To us," he smiled, dangerously.

Mai clinked their cups together and drained the last of her tea. "And to the end of Seto Kaiba."

* * *

Mokuba shoved the door to the mansion open moodily. He was still upset from the argument with Seto, and a tiring day at school hadn't improved that.

"Roland!" he called, as he walked into the kitchen. "Roland?"

The chauffeur poked his head around the door. "Yes, Master Mokuba?"

Mokuba sighed. No matter how many times he had asked Roland to stop addressing him so formally, he still did it. Despite the fact that he'd virtually raised the brothers, and had always been more of a father to them than Gozaburo ever was.

"Roland, bring the car around. I want to go and visit him."

Roland nodded, sympathetically (not needing to ask who exactly Mokuba wanted to visit). "I know, Sir, but do you really think now would be a good time?"

Mokuba glowered. "Yes. I don't want to wait another two hours because then it'll be 'visiting time', we are going now!"

Roland ducked his head, and went to fetch the keys. There was no arguing with Master Mokuba when he glared like that.

* * *

Seto was sitting by the hospital bad already when Mokuba arrived. Without looking up the taller boy said sadly, "I thought you'd come here."

Mokuba didn't reply, and pulled up a chair next to Seto.

"I'm sorry, Mokie. I know I shouldn't work so hard, and I know it's hard on you-" Seto mumbled awkwardly, keeping his eyes fixed on the still figure lying on the bed.

"It doesn't matter, Seto," Mokuba interrupted. "I'm the one that should be apologising. I said all those things about…"

His voice trailed off as a lump formed in his throat. Seto reached over and squeezed his hand.

"I think he'd understand," Seto whispered.

Mokuba nodded, as tears threatened to spill over again. It had been years, and yet he still cried whenever he saw the small, pale boy lying on the bed.

He leaned his head on Seto's shoulder. "I just wish he would wake up. Even if it was just for one day, just so I could talk to him one last time."

Seto nodded, but found that he couldn't reply. There was simply nothing to say.

The two boys sat there in silence for a long time, just watching the figure and remembering. Eventually Roland came in quietly.

"Sirs, I think it's time you left," he said, kindly. He had witnessed this ritual nearly every day for six years now, and yet he was still understanding, still supportive.

Mokuba got up, stiffly, and leaned over to kiss the motionless boy on the forehead.

"Bye," he whispered, just as he had done so many times before. "I'll be back soon."

Seto waited until Roland had taken Mokuba out to the car, before sitting on the side of the bed, and gently brushing the child's green hair out of his eyes.

"You'll need a haircut soon, little brother," he chuckled to himself. He clasped the small boy's pale hand as though it was a lifeline for a split second, and then laid it carefully back down.

"Bye, Noa," he murmured. Then he turned and walked out of the room, using all of his strength not to run back and hold the frail body whilst he cried and cried until all of his tears were gone.

* * *

"Morning, Sir!" Mai said, cheerily as she brought his morning coffee in. "How are you today?"

Seto didn't reply, but grabbed the cup and drank gratefully. "I think you just saved my life," he said, in a moment of rare humour.

She giggled, and leaned casually against the desk. "You work too hard, Sir. You should take a break, go on a holiday or something."

Seto snorted, "I can't. There's just too much to do, and there is no way I'm leaving my company in the hands of the idiots that work for me for any longer than a couple of hours."

He shot her an apologetic look. "I didn't mean you, Miss Kujaku. I mean those dimwits that call themselves Managing Directors."

She laughed again. If Seto had been really awake, and if he had been better at reading people, then he might have wondered why her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Please, Sir, I've already said. Call me Mai."

Seto smiled slightly. "Fine then. Mai."

She winked at him. "Call if you want any more coffee, or anything." She walked out of the office, taking great care to swing her hips.

Seto watched her go with an odd mix of emotions. Strange… why did he get this twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he saw her? And why on earth did he enjoy talking to her so much, when he usually despised talking to anyone other than his brothers or close servants.

She was friendly, he realised, and then shook his head sternly. No. Friends aren't necessary. They won't help Noa, so there's no point in having them.

He forced himself to look at his laptop screen again, although for some reason he found the fine tuning of a system (that secreted sleeping gas into the air when there was an intruder) much less interesting than he normally would.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

"Mai, would you-"

"I know, you want the Tansuki report, and yes, it's on your desk ready for signing."

"Ah, yes, I see. And-"

"The research papers you wanted are right there, next to your laptop."

"Oh, thank you. But-"

"That human resources assistant you wanted has been hired, and her details have been filed on the database so you can look at them."

"Good. But, Mai-"

"And here's your coffee."

"Perfect."

Seto tried to think of something that he wanted her to do that she hadn't already predicted. Eventually, he gave up and shrugged whilst he drank his coffee.

"Full marks, Mai," he grinned. "I swear you can get inside my head."

She smiled, and began to bustle around the office on her weekly tidy, whilst Seto tried to concentrate on his work. Over the last two weeks he had talked to her every day, and suddenly he found himself laughing. And smiling. He was actually in a good mood- he hadn't fired anyone in over a month!

Mokuba was delighted by this sudden change in his older brother, and teased him about it constantly when he found out about Mai. It was almost as if it was six years ago again. For the first time since the accident he was actually… happy.

"Your brother really is adorable," Mai's voice broke him out of his reverie, and he saw that she was staring at the photo again. "I know I've said it before, but he is. They both are."

Seto choked on his coffee. "Wh-what?"

"Well, I'm just saying that both of them are really sweet. Who is that other one, anyway?"

Seto clenched his fist, tightly. "It isn't important. Mai, I think this room is tidy, thank you."

She hesitated, with a bewildered expression. "Seto, I-"

He felt anger slice through his stomach, and he stood up sharply, turning to face her. "Look, Miss Kujaku," he growled, trying to suppress the guilt at her shocked expression. "My family is of no concern to you. My brother's are none of your business, and I would appreciate it if-"

But he didn't make it any further because suddenly she was kissing him, and it didn't seem to matter any more.

She moved away after a second, but it felt to Seto like it had been days, or even years.

"Um-" he said, very confused.

She laughed softly. "For once the great Seto Kaiba is lost for words."

He didn't reply, but merely leaned down and kissed her again.

* * *

Over the next few days the news that the young CEO of KaibaCorp was dating his gorgeous secretary spread like wildfire. It seemed to be the only thing that people could talk about, and it irritated Seto so much that he refused to watch TV or read a newspaper for a full week.

Mokuba, of course, thought it was completely hilarious. As far as he was concerned his big brother was happy, he wasn't working so late, and he wasn't exhausted all of the time. The only thing he was upset about was that he hadn't actually met Mai yet, and he nagged Seto about it constantly.

Eventually, Seto sighed and waved him away impatiently. "Alright, alright! I'll bring her round tomorrow, you can meet her then."

Mokuba grinned smugly, and hugged Seto. "Thanks, big brother."

Seto pushed him away, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, okay, just get out, I'm working."

Mokuba laughed, and left the study, whilst Seto rang Mai's number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Mai, it's me," he said. "Look, do you want to come round tomorrow evening? It's just that Mokuba really wants to meet you."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Oh, I'm sorry Seto, I'm busy tomorrow night. Um… family stuff. You understand."

"Yes, of course," he said, slightly disappointed. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Bye."

* * *

On the other end of the line, Mai put the phone down thoughtfully. Despite everything she had actually enjoyed spending time with Seto over the last few weeks. He was basically a good person, even if he _was_ unfriendly and arrogant. Was what she was doing right? No, don't think like that! Revenge, remember? That's what you live for, Mai. It keeps you going.

"Was that Kaiba?" a voice came from behind her, and she turned back to Malik who was relaxing on her sofa, holding a full wineglass.

She nodded. "Yeah. He wanted me to come over tomorrow."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "Seems you two are getting along quite nicely."

Mai scowled. "I'm a good actress."

Malik shrugged, "I wouldn't blame you, Mai, if you found yourself liking him. He is gorgeous."

Mai shoved Malik in the side. "Hey, stop daydreaming about my boyfriend!" she laughed.

Malik shifted over to the other side of the sofa, smiling. "So you do like him. What happened to 'I hate Seto Kaiba' and all of that?"

Mai's smile slid of her face, and she glared at the boy. "I do hate Seto Kaiba, believe me. I will never forgive him, not for what he did."

Malik rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, sweetheart. Just don't let this little crush get in the way of our mission tomorrow. You know none of us would be too pleased if this went wrong."

"I'm looking forward to it," Mai said, stonily.

"And if Kaiba gets in the way? Would you be prepared to kill him?" Malik asked, quietly.

Mai opened her mouth to reply, but found that she couldn't.

Eventually she just said, "That's not part of the plan."

Malik smirked, and fingered his wineglass. "Hate him, huh? Yeah right. You're not _that _good an actress."

* * *

The next day was perfectly ordinary Wednesday. Seto went to work, Mokuba went to school. Seto spent his lunchtime with Mai. He worked hard, she tidied up his office. He called Mokuba to tell him to come to his office in after school and they'd go visit Noa together, like they always did. Perfectly normal.

But that evening would be one they all remembered for the rest of their lives.

Seto was taking much longer to finish a report than he had anticipated, and it was well into the evening by the time he was finished. Everyone else had gone home.

Eventually, he stretched and stood up, turning on the small TV to check the time at the bottom of the screen. Half past seven? Wow, that really had taken a long time. It occurred to him vaguely that it was strange how Mokuba hadn't turned up, but he assumed that he'd gone straight to the hospital. He was about to walk out of his office door, when suddenly something came out of the TV that made him stop sharply in horror.

"Newsflash! In latest news, Domino Bank, the bank that many described as completely burglar-proof due to the state-of-the-art security system designed by Domino's very own KaibaCorp, has been robbed. The details of the robbery are not clear, but as far as we can gather the robbers somehow managed to break into the security system and shut down all of the alarms and security that would have been activated in normal circumstances. They then entered the Bank through the back, knocking out the few security guards. Although it has not been yet reported exactly how much has been stolen, it is thought to be mainly the jewellery and gold that was being stored safely in the banks underground vault. These robbers somehow managed to disappear without a trace, and the police do not seem to have any leads. How did these robbers do it? They are the first in history to break through the KaibaCorp systems, could this mean the famous family's time at the top is coming to an end? Rumour is that it could be the work of the infamous 'Thief King' and his gang- judging by their history it would certainly seem likely! The only place to find out is- Hang on, I've just been informed that not only has this been a night for the most extraordinary break-in in Domino history, but for kidnappings as well! The robbers have allegedly kidnapped none other then Mokuba Kaiba, the younger brother of Seto Kaiba, the CEO of KaibaCorp. Apparently, the Kaiba household just received a telephone call demanding a ransom to be paid for the life of the younger Kaiba. Seto Kaiba seems to be unavailable for comment, but we will bring you more on this dramatic story as it unfolds, so don't go anywhere!"

Seto switched off the TV as if in a daze. Mokuba… kidnapped? This was unbelievable! He couldn't move, it felt as if he was glued to his chair. How was this possible? At that moment, his mobile rang. He picked it up, ashen-faced.

"Hello?... Oh, Roland…. Yes, I've just seen the news, why did you not inform me as soon as this happened? … The phone-lines are cut?... They thought of everything, didn't they… What were the details of the ransom?... £1,000,000? … Yes, I can pay it, but-… Where? … Tonight, at 10.00 pm? … Right, I want every single policeman in this town on this case… It's simple, Roland, they find my brother and arrest his kidnappers or I do it for them…Exactly… Thank you, Roland. Don't worry, everything's going to be alright… Me? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine…. Look, let's just concentrate on getting Mokuba back. Believe me, I'm not going to lose him…. Yes, bring the car around immediately, thank you."

Seto snapped the phone shut, his mood changing abruptly from confusion to complete fury. He paced up and down his office, impatiently waiting for Roland to arrive with the car, trying to keep his mind fixed on the pleasant thoughts of what he would do to the kidnappers when he found them. Anything to keep his mind off what might happen to Mokuba.

He'll be alright. He has to be.

* * *

Mai stood slightly apart from her friends in the deserted warehouse, watching them celebrate the robbery. It had been a terrific success, that was certain. Their leader, Bakura, was absolutely elated, and the others were pretty excited too. This one job would keep them all comfortably for the rest of their lives! They had broken into an 'impregnable' bank, kidnapped a child for ransom and probably destroyed Seto Kaiba all in one fell swoop. They were invincible, the greatest thieves alive.

But for some reason Mai didn't feel like celebrating. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but be drawn to the small door in the corner, behind which Mokuba was huddled crying.

"Mai? You okay?" Malik said, wandering over to her.

She nodded. "It's just… he's only a child, Malik. It feels wrong."

Malik patted her arm, comfortingly. "Don't worry, Mai. We're not going to hurt him- you know that. Kaiba will pay up, and then we'll be out of here. We could go anywhere, Mai! America, Australia, hell, we could go and live in the Arctic Circle if we wanted too!" He gripped her hand, eyes sparkling, "Don't you see? We're going to be free, we'll never have to rely on petty thieving again!"

"But what if he doesn't pay, Malik? What then?"

Malik bit his lip uncertainly. The room had suddenly gone very quiet.

"Then we'll have to deal with that," Bakura said, calmly. There was no doubt in anyone's mind what 'dealing with it' meant.

"But don't worry!" Malik piped up, brightly. "He's not going to risk that, is he?"

She hesitated, and then replied slowly, "No. No, I suppose he's not." The air in the room lightened, and everyone began talking again.

"Nothing to worry about, then!" Malik said, cheerfully, and sauntered off to flirt with Ryou.

Mai fiddled with her skirt, uncomfortably. But it was something to worry about. This whole thing was out of control.

Just remember why you're doing this, remember her…

* * *

"_Mai! Mai!" her little sister called, happily. "Me and Mummy are going to the shops! Do you want to come?"_

_Mai smiled, and hugged her little sister, ruffling her hair. "No thanks. I've got homework to do. But bring me back something nice, okay?"_

"_Okay!" the little girl smiled, and jumped in the car next to their smiling mother. "We'll see you when we get back!"_

_Mai was in the middle of her history essay, when suddenly the phone rang. Groaning at being interrupted, she picked it up._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hello, this Domino Police Department. Is that Miss Mai Kujaku?"_

_Mai felt her stomach drop out. "Y-yes. Why?"_

"_I'm very sorry Miss Kujaku, but your mother and sister were involved in a car accident. There isn't much we can do, but would you come down here please? Hello? Hello?"_

_But the phone was lying abandoned on the kitchen table, and Mai was already running down the street, tears streaking down her face._

"_No… no," she muttered over and over again._

_Suddenly, she turned a corner and saw, horrified, the yellow tape, the blood, the crowds of curious people, the news reporters…_

_And then the two cars. One a limo, no that's not our car. But the other… No._

_Mai pushed her way forcefully through the crowds, trying to block out the image of the crushed-up old blue Volvo. Her mother's car._

_When she got to the front, the only thing she could do was open her mouth and scream._

_Her mother's and sister's bodies lay on stretchers being prepared by paramedics, covered in blood, and pale-faced. And they weren't breathing._

_She ducked under the tape, ignoring the policewoman bearing down on her, and dashed to her sister._

"_No, no, please, don't die, please…" she sobbed, clutching her little sister's hand. There was no response._

_A kindly paramedic pulled her over to the side, where she could see a tall brown-haired boy also standing there being tended to by the doctors. He had his arms around a smaller, sobbing boy, and was clearly in shock. (But he wasn't crying.) Their eyes met for a split-second and she knew, she just knew that he was going through exactly the same thing._

_She buried her face in her hands, and howled._

_She lay on the bed at her aunt's, tears trickling down her cheeks. She was staring at the TV without seeing the picture, until suddenly the news came on._

"_In breaking news, the CEO of KaibaCorp, Gozaburo Kaiba has been killed in a car-crash. His three sons were also in the car with him, but Seto and Mokuba Kaiba were not injured. However, Noa Kaiba is currently in hospital, with his condition uncertain. The doctors of Domino Hospital are doing everything they can to save his life, but the reports we have received suggest that the outlook is grim. Our thoughts go out to the Kaiba family at this tragic time. In other news-"_

_Mai switched the TV off, furiously. No mention of her sister or her mother. Nothing. And the policemen had told her it was Gozaburo who had crashed into her mother, not the other way around!_

_She screamed, and threw a shoe at the TV screen, shattering it into a million tiny pieces._

_As she watched the shards tinkle to the floor in a cascade, Mai swore to herself that she would have revenge on the Kaibas._

_They would pay for what they did._

* * *

Mai reached inside her jacket, and pulled out her phone. She stared at it uncertainly for a few minutes, but eventually opened up the 'Write Message' option. She tapped in a short message. Number: Seto, mobile.

Mai shut her eyes, not believing that after six years of planning this she was about to throw it away, and pressed 'Send'.

* * *

Seto was sitting in the back of the limo, wracking his brains frantically for a plan, and clutching onto the suitcase which contained the money, when his phone suddenly beeped.

He frowned. A text? Who would be texting him now? He opened it up, and read:

**Come to the Warehouse No. 34 at the harbour. Your brother is there, and he is safe. Do not bring the police.**

**A friend**

Seto looked at it incredulously. 'Do not bring the police'? How stupid did they think he was? It was clearly a trap. But still… Suddenly he realised that he _was _being stupid. The number of the sender would show up on his phone! He scrolled down to read: Sender- Mai, mobile.

What? Mai? Did they have her too?

What was going on? Well, Seto, this is the only clue you have, so you'll have to go with it.

"Roland, turn around. We're going to the harbour."

* * *

As Roland pulled up outside Warehouse No. 34, Seto realised just how suicidal this mission was. He was alone, he was unarmed, and he was going on the advice of an anonymous person who had somehow managed to get hold of his girlfriend's phone. This was by far the most ridiculous situation he had ever been in.

"Stay here, Roland," he said, calmly, as he got out of the car. "I need to check something. Hopefully, I won't be long."

"Sir, I'm coming in with you!" Roland protested. "I'm not leaving you by yourself!"

But Seto shook his head, firmly, saying, "I need you to be ready in the car; we may have to leave quickly."

Roland frowned, but nodded. Seto took a deep breath, and walked towards the double-doors.

He could hear voices from inside, and, shaking his head at his own stupidity, he pushed open the doors.

He was suddenly in a large, brightly lit space, with four people staring at him like he was some sort of alien. Well, three people. The fourth was staring determinedly at the ground, an angry blush dusting her cheeks.

It was Mai.

"Mai?" Seto said, surprise overcoming his fear. "What are you doing here?"

"More to the point, what are you doing here, Kaiba?" one of the white-haired boys growled, pointing a gun at him.

Mai saw this, and said in slight alarm, "No, don't hurt him. We can sort this out, no-one has to get hurt."

Seto saw the sandy-haired Egyptian boy turn his shocked expression to Mai. "You called him, didn't you? You're the reason he's here."

The white-haired boy looked furiously at her. "Traitor," he hissed. Mai looked as though she was either about to hit someone, or burst into tears.

"I couldn't bear the idea of hurting a child!" she spat.

"We weren't going to kill him, you silly bitch!" he replied, angrily. "We were going to get the ransom! Now you've messed everything up!"

The sandy-haired boy looked, if possible, even angrier than his friend. "I thought you were on our side, Mai! You were our friend!"

Seto was, by now, completely perplexed. "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" he said, exasperatedly. "Mai, what are they talking about?"

She looked at him in silence for a second, and then sighed. "I've been working for Bakura all this time, Seto. I posed as this stupid secretary that liked you so you wouldn't suspect anything. We used the information I managed to collect to break into the security system at Domino Bank, and to kidnap your brother."

"Hang on- what?" Seto said, completely floored.

The white-haired boy (Bakura?) rolled his eyes. "She's been betraying you all along because she hates your guts. Get over it," he said, dismissively.

Seto stared at her in shock. He had not been expecting this. There were a million questions he wanted to ask, but he only managed to choke out one.

"Wait, what information?"

The smaller white-haired boy reached into his pocket, took something out and tossed it to Mai.

"You remember that day, when I first tidied your office?"

He could only nod, dumbly, and wonder if this was what it was like to feel stupid.

She held up the object, and to Seto's surprise, he saw that it was a tiny recording instrument, like a large version of a concealed bug. She pressed down on one of the buttons and Mai's voice floated out of the tiny gadget at a surprising volume.

'"Oh, how adorable!"

"My brother, Mokuba."'

She clicked the stop button. Seto groaned as he realised what they had done. "Voice-recognition technology," he said, angry at himself for not realising it sooner. "You recorded me saying the password that de-activates the alarm system."

"Yes," Bakura took over. "It was simple to figure out the password. All Mai had to get you to do was to say 'Mokuba', and record it. Easy, really."

Seto shook his head, smiling wryly. "I guess you out-witted me. Checkmate, Seto Kaiba. And now you've got me all alone at gunpoint, with my brother trapped, my reputation probably in tatters and all I want to ask is: Why?"

He addressed this last to Mai. "Why do you hate me so much?"

She shot him a look full of loathing. "Because it's your father's fault my family are dead!" she burst out.

Seto had the feeling of being two steps behind everyone else. "What?"

"Remember the car crash that killed your father? Yeah, well it killed my sister and mother too. They were the people that were killed because your father was driving too fast!" She had tears in her eyes now. "And you know what? Even though my mother died on impact, my sister might have been saved if the paramedics hadn't given your brother all the attention. They saw she was close to death, and they let her go, but your brother, oh no. They worked on him, they still are six years later! Just because he was richer, more powerful than her. Why should Noa be alive when my little sister had to die? Tell me that, Oh great Seto Kaiba!"

Tears were pouring unchecked down her cheeks, making her mascara streak. "My little sister, Seto. My baby sister."

Seto stared at her in horror. "Mai, I had no-"

"Because you didn't care about anyone else! That's all you cared about, your precious family. There are other people in the world you know!" she screamed at him.

Seto gaped, completely at a loss.

The sandy-haired boy had moved in and had placed a hand on Mai's shoulder. The rest of them seemed to have turned their former anger at Mai towards him, and were glaring at him vehemently.

For a long moment there was no sound but Mai's fading sobs.

"Look," Seto said, eventually. "If you give Mokuba back to me now, I will give you £500,000 and I won't alert the police. I'll say I paid the ransom, and I'll put them off the trail so they don't find you. You can get out of the country. I swear I won't tell anyone."

Bakura narrowed his eyes, and kept his grip on the pistol. "Yeah, like we're going to believe_ you_."

"To be honest, you don't have much of a choice," he replied, evenly. "Unless you plan on killing me, which I'm sure, if that's what your plan was, you would have already done."

The sandy-haired boy stepped forward. "£1,000,000 and you've got a deal."

Seto raised his eyebrows. "£600,000."

"£900,000."

"£700,000."

"£800,000, no less."

"£750,000 is my final offer.

The boy looked at Bakura who nodded, resignedly, and then stepped forward to shake his hand. "Done."

Seto bent down, and opened the suitcase, carefully removing £750,000 and handed the bundles to Bakura, who inspected them, and then nodded.

"Right, Malik get the kid."

The sandy-haired boy hurried to the small door at the back and opened it. Mokuba tumbled out, then sat up looking rather embarrassed. He had clearly been listening through the door.

Malik quirked an eyebrow. "Word of advice, when eavesdropping always listen for when someone is coming towards the door."

Mokuba glared at him, and then ran to Seto and threw his arms around him.

"Seto! I was so scared I was never going to see you again…" he cried into Seto's jacket.

"It's okay, Mokuba. It's alright."

Seto held him in a brief but tight hug, and then put him down, although keeping a tight hold on his hand.

"Good luck," he said, quietly, to Mai. "And I'm sorry."

Seto wanted to say something else; he wanted to say it more than he'd wanted anything in his life, (apart from maybe the desperate wish for Noa to wake up). But he didn't, and instead turned on his heel and tugged Mokuba out of the building. The thieves were left in the warehouse, looking slightly bemused. Mai stared after him, shocked at his actions.

"I can't believe he didn't call the police," Ryou remarked.

Malik shrugged. "Well, we may as well get going. I'll call up the station, we'll get the train out of Domino, and then we can catch a plane. Just like we planned."

His friends all nodded, except for Mai. "I guess I'd better say goodbye then," she said, briskly wiping the tears from her face. "Because I'm staying here."

Malik gaped in shock, but the others didn't seem too surprised.

"It's been nice knowing you, Mai," Ryou said warmly, hugging her.

"Yeah, you were a handy person to have around," Bakura said, gruffly. (Coming from Bakura, this was high praise.)

Malik shook his head. "It won't be the same without you," he said, in a rather subdued way. "But it's been fun."

Mai grinned, "It really has. I'll miss you guys. Send me your address, and I'll come visit, okay?" And giving Malik a kiss on the cheek, she walked out of the warehouse.

* * *

_Five Days Later_

The chaos that the robbery and kidnapping had induced was beginning to calm down, which meant that Seto could finally get some proper sleep. He had been working solidly from the evening after Mokuba had been kidnapped, with only a few breaks for police interviews, and some quick naps on the sofa in his office.

Everything had been made ten times worse, of course, by the fact that he no longer had an assistant. Apart from the fact that she had actually been a very efficient worker, Seto found himself acutely missing the coffee that she brought him.

But he had refused to let himself think of Mai Kujaku, because if he started down that slippery slope he would have to remember all of the other things he missed about her: the talks during their breaks, her smile, her kiss, her teasing jokes, her laugh-

No. That wasn't bearable.

He knew that although he had been stupid to not figure out that she was a spy, but even stupider to have fallen in love with her. And it was stupidest of all to _still_ be in love with her, even after all that had happened.

Mokuba had turned up at his office a few hours earlier, and, for the first time in nearly two weeks, Seto was able to go and see Noa. They sat side by side as they always did, sometimes talking to their unconscious brother, sometimes just remaining silent.

What they didn't expect was for a girl wrapped up in a dark coat and scarf to come through the door, rubbing her hands together and saying: "It's _really _cold out there," as though this was completely normal.

The pair stared at her in complete shock. Eventually, Seto said, "Mai, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged, smiling, and said, "Well, Seto, I was just wondering if I could have my old job back. I'm staying in the city, you see, and I was hoping that you could give it to me."

Mokuba's mouth was hanging open, but Seto's mouth twitched into a smile.

"I suppose you were very good at it," he smirked. "Yes, you can have it back."

Mokuba's mouth dropped even further. Without missing a beat, Mai pulled up a chair next to Seto, who merely said, "Mokuba, close your mouth. It's rude."

He snapped it shut, and tried not to laugh.

Mai looked at Noa's still body. "I never really thought about how it affected you, Seto," she said, quietly, in a sudden change of mood. "I suppose I was being selfish, really. I just miss her so much."

She trailed off. In a quick movement, Seto grabbed her hand and gripped it tightly.

In that moment he knew that she forgave him. He knew that he had to move on from that terrible day six years ago. And although he didn't_ know,_ he was always pretty sure that he heard Noa's voice whisper in his ear:

_Be happy, big brother. I know you won't love me any less if you are. Let go._

And as he tightened his grip on Mai's hand, for the first time in six years he allowed tears to roll down his cheeks.

For the first time in six years he felt free.

* * *

**Ugh, that stupid ending. I swear I changed about a dozen times, and I still don't like it! Oh well...**

**A couple of things that I should probably verify, but didn't want to at the beginning because it might have given away stuff:**

**Ages: Seto- 17, Mokuba- 11, Noa- 13, Mai- 17. So when the accident happened they were all still children.**

**I used sterling as a currency because I've never been able to wrap my head around Japanese currency, and I thought I may as well use pounds.**

**And yes, there was a mention of angstshipping- I'm weak, I couldn't resist it!**

**I really hope you all liked it! **

**Bookworm**


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